Is an Organic Social Media Reach Even Possible Today?
It seems that these days, everyone is obsessed with increasing their number of followers on the many social media apps that fill up our phones and take up our storage. The accounts with a higher amount for followers, also known as influencers, show us the perks of being internet-popular. That can be by receiving free products from theirs (and maybe your) favorite brand, business opportunities from multiple companies, and even traffic to their personal brands. One concern that many people who have aspirations to grow their brand is growing it in a way that is true to who they are. Which leaves us with the question: Is it possible to gain influencer status organically?
So, Let’s Start With the Account
You have your own unique style, you make all of the necessary posts, you engage with people — where are the followers? Truthfully, the one thing that separates you and the influencers is simply the number of followers. How do they get these followers? is it possible that their account just happened to end up on 40K people’s screens?
One thing that the general public has discovered is the fact that a lot of these influencers and celebrities have bought their followers. Maybe not all of them, but a good amount of them. It has been made clear how you can spot if someone has bought followers, and one of the easiest ways to tell is to look at the engagement. A lot of people who have bought followers barely get engagement on their posts. If they have 40K followers, you should see maybe 2K likes, or around that number.
If this is true and so easy to spot, then how come companies still reach out to them? I believe that companies don’t have the time to check out their engagement like we do. The company sees a certain amount of followers, and that’s enough for them. To be an ambassador for brands, they now require a certain amount of followers. So followers = opportunities. I believe this is exactly why people buy their followers to get their start.
Let’s Move On to Personal Brand
On Instagram, you will see fewer personal accounts and more personal brands. Instagram has created a lane for people to turn themselves into brands and profit from that. There is a lane for everyone ! If you are a bookworm, there are pages for you! If you are someone who loves fashion, there are pages for you to follow. Everything and anything that you can think of — there is a lane for you to not only join but thrive in. The beauty of having a personal brand is that it creates a clear picture of what you’re about, which gives a clear idea as to which companies can benefit from you promoting their product.
If there is a high fashion model/influencer, what you’ll see are posts that display their love for high fashion. You will see that they are very careful about what they post and who they tag in their post. This lets the companies know that they are interested in their product and based on the account, the companies will see that this person can create interest in other people which of course works for both of them.
Is There a Time When You Should Be Posting?
Over the past two years, I have seen multiple people give workshops on how to “crush” the Instagram game. Giving tips such a prime time posting, professional-quality content, and, of course, the hashtag. However, if it was truly that simple, wouldn’t everyone be able to become an influencer? If it was truly a three-step program, then wouldn’t every have Instagram as their full-time job? No, it isn’t that simple.
I have tried and seen others take the advice of the social media gurus and followed their steps, and the only thing that was crushed was the belief that it was that simple. Posting at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. simply is not enough to take you to influencer status.
I truly believe that there is no organic reach, despite the companies that sell followers the “buy real followers” speech and the guru’s tips to success.
What do you think?
Originally posted in Medium
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